


Authentic, Really

by orphan_account



Series: The Intentions of Rust [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Angst, Gen, POV First Person, Prosthesis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-21
Updated: 2015-04-30
Packaged: 2018-01-09 05:22:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1141970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Android model: Phantom.</p><p>Identification code: Q11.</p><p>Appointed a borrowed identity, a restructured face, and the responsibility of healing the spirit of shut-in Kagami Taiga, newly named [Kuroko] gathers the courage to step into the deteriorating world surrounding his charge's hometown of Teiko, along with acquainting himself with its curious yet complex residents.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> because robots and the concept of HAL the movie  
> but mostly just robots  
> lots of sads and existential crises in the future, you have been warned

The water felt so nice. It was so clear and clean, and the small creature swimming closer looked funny. They tried to catch the creature within their hands, but a splash behind them told them they had only grasped water. Trying their best to creep over to where the finned creature escaped to, they stood up and splashed about upstream.

A shout from Master and her friend and they left to creek to Master’s side. Master’s mobile device buzzed when they arrived next to her. They looked up, down, and around curiously, searching for more objects of interest to learn of. The weather was at its best for the season, allowing almost no clouds to interfere with the bright blue of the sky. Birds chirped in the trees, cicadas buzzed, and insects flew from plants to flowers.

Roaring came from above as they watched Master, and they turned their eyes upward to see an aircraft flying ahead, leaving a trail of white in its path. In the background, they heard Master grumbling to the screen of her phone but it eventually faded away to nothing as the aircraft wavered from side to side, black replacing the white trail.

From their knowledge, aircrafts carrying persons like Master were not supposed to erupt and combust. The noise, even at their distance on the ground, was terrible.

They could not tear their eyes away, absorbing the sight above them. Red completely filled their vision, and with a last explosion, it dispersed to pieces.

They almost didn’t hear the distress from Master, who had dropped her phone with a desperate cry, her emotional fluctuation going wild as she collapsed. When they had hurried to Master’s side, she was gripping her wrinkled face tightly, tears spilling through the cracks of her wisened fingers.

What had caused Master to feel such sadness?

\--

Kuroko has died.

The Kuroko who almost never leaves Kagami’s side has died.

Kagami can’t laugh.

Can’t sleep.

Won’t listen.

Won’t eat.

Can’t cry.

\--

“Q11, help us save that child.”

Q11 was peering down at the unmoving person laid before them among a bed of flowers. The sight of the person, set within the flowers so it looked as if they were in a peaceful sleep, made Master sad knowing someone precious to them was not with them any longer.

“Help us.”

Master spoke to Q11 quietly from the other room. She was sitting at a table with a cube in her hands facing Q11 and the bed of flowers. Her voice was firm yet forlorn, already having shed many tears for the loss. If Master wished, they would do anything to relieve her of the current torment plaguing them, if only it would get them to smile again.

They looked back to the person in the room and nodded, though Master could not see it staring down at the cube with writing scrawled across its surface. Master probably sensed their agreement, because she let out a shaky sigh of relief as she wiped a tear silently from her cheek with a dark sleeve.

Q11 would not only do this for Master, but for the “child” who also valued the person laid to rest so deceptively young and in the prime of their youth. The image of them appearing to be in an undisturbed sleep was mesmerising and unforgettable, the lights within the room illuminating the picture with an ethereal glow. It burned into their glassy eyes as they made the decision to heal the “child”, overtaking the vision of the destruction of the plane.

 

* * *

 

I have become human.

I sat in my chair, several wires hooked up to me as I held and worked with the cube in my fleshed covered hands.

The chirping of the birds outside and the sunlight filtering through the spaces of the blinds signaled it was early morning.

A woman knocked open the door in a rush. Her glasses were falling down her nose, breathing deep and harsh from running and blonde hair in disarray.

“Sorry, I’m late, Q11,” she apologized breathlessly as she walked in with a flick of her white labcoat.

I continued to work on the cube as she stepped closer inside the room but stopped when she said my android name. “Doctor Alex, I am Kuroko from now on.”

“Oh, isn’t that right,” Doctor Alex agreed as she checked the monitor for his vitals. She turned to me, wiping sweat off her face with the back of her hand. “So, how does it feel to be human?”

“What does ‘feel’ mean?” I asked, quietly.

“To be able to feel,” she replied, as if it was obvious. Doctor Alex raised my arms, carefully taking off a few of the wires. She brought herself close enough that I could see the blue of her irises and the individual blonde eyelashes surrounding them. My appearance, blue hair and matching eyes paired with pale skin, was reflected in her glasses. “Ah, forget I said anything!”

Doctor Alex turned away from me to the open door, and did a little dance. “Okay, it’s time to go! Come on.” She clapped her hands at me to get a move on.

I sat there, a little confused and overwhelmed by her energy, but complied as she led me away.

Some time later, we were boarding a train. In my seat, I watched the passing green scenery fly by with the cube still in my grasp.

“Ah, that ol’ thing is sure brings back memories.”

I broke my gaze from the window to see Doctor Alex staring at the object in my hand, and I made a small indignant noise as she took it from me to mess with it.

“There was a rumor it could grant wishes, did you know that? Probably not, because I heard it in my college days. Was it the same for you?” she asked. I stared at her, mind blank and unable to come up with an answer. “Oh, I forgot you wouldn’t know Kuroko’s past, huh?” She sat back down, smiling at her own mistake.

I didn’t comprehend her strange questions, but I liked her enough. We stayed silent until we arrived at a river with a few flat rocks to cross over to a little town. She stopped to apologize, saying she had to meet up with some people she knew and tossed the cube to me.

I read the green side of the cube, finding Doctor Alex had managed to arrange most of it so it was legible.

“‘Live with Taiga,’” I read out loud.

She slapped me on the back, and looked down at me with a grin. From my previous sitting positions, I hadn’t realized she was that much taller than me, and she had casually slipped me her three sizes conversing on our trip here, which were very generous.

“This was the final wish left by Kuroko," she said, eyes softening at unseen memories. Doctor Alex glanced at the writing then to me reassuringly. I nodded in understanding and she left with a smile, waving a hand in farewell.

Making my way across another rock path in another direction, I knocked into a few children playing and running along it in the opposite direction. One of the children’s hat fell off and into the river, and I failed to catch it. I noticed the hat was a shade similar to Kagami’s hair before it sunk to the bottom.

I arrived at a small quaint day care center. The sign said “Kagami and Kuroko”. So, this was the home where Kagami Taiga and I...I mean, Kuroko Tetsuya, had lived together before his death.

Attempting to open the stiff unused wooden door was difficult, but with a hard push, I managed to slip through and close it as gently as I could. The interior was messy and covered with a fine layer of dust, but it looked lived in for the most part. Looking around for any signs of life, a clatter from the interior garden door had me run in a start.

A few papers were left behind and the clattering continued to another adjacent room and ended with a firm shut of a door. I followed them until it lead to a room filled with various items piled into one large heap. It must have been the place where Kagami hid himself from the rest of the world.

“Kagami-kun?” I quietly asked the door. “Is that you?”

“Who are you?” a gruff voice asked as the door slid open a fraction.

“I am here from the help center to aide you. May I speak with you?”

Anger filled his voice. “I didn’t order a robot to replace Kuroko!” came his reply.

His anger surprised me. “I am only here to help-”

“I don’t want a fake. Leave!” he furiously interrupted and slammed the door in my face.

“Do you not like me?” I asked after a moment of stunned silence. Quiet. “Do you wish for me to leave? If so, please sign this.”

I placed a paper and pen in front of the door, my cube with the words “cleaning with Kagami-kun” written on it so it wouldn’t fly away. The paper was if the person receiving the aide did not want the android look alike of their deceased loved one, and the lack of answer from Kagami-kun could only have meant one thing.

I curiously looked around the messy room as I waited for Kagami’s answer and decided to begin fulfilling Kuroko's wish. I grabbed a rumpled apron and got to work. 

It took me nearly the whole day to gather discarded clothing, washing them, air drying bed sheets, picking up various pairs of basketball shoes and scrubbing them clean, then arranging them neatly on shoe shelves by the front door. By sundown, I was intently focused on organizing Kagami-kun’s room when a stack of items on his wardrobe collapsed on me as I accidentally removed something that was precariously holding the rest up by a margin.

“Ow,” I muttered as a pointed hard object landed a hit on my head.

Rubbing the pain away, my eye trailed to the things that had fallen. A book of some sort was splayed open and the content caught my interest.

Inside was a collection of images of Kagami by himself, smiling wide and proud, many with him and Kuroko posing together happily, and others with Kuroko alone and sometimes caught off guard but still managing to look expressionless. The cubes made several appearances within the shots. They were a significant part of Kagami’s life.

“Kagami-kun?” I looked on, awestruck at the various faces he could make. I had yet to cause a single one of those, besides one of pain and anger.

I looked toward the fallen cube that had presumably fell along with Kagami-kun’s other belongings and resolved to solve a side. Crawling toward it, I saw it had writing just as mine had, it being a counterpart to my own.

“Live with Kuroko” a side I finished said.

“Kagami-kun!” I addressed the door, excitement trickling into my voice. “I solved it.” I brought the cube closer in case he wanted to take a look.

To my surprise, the door did open. A hand quickly reached out, snatched the cube from my outstretched one, and flung it away into a garden fountain with an audible splash. Before I could see Kagami-kun’s expression, the door closed again with a bang.

“You’re not Kuroko. Go home.”

“I know,” I sighed at the reminder. The only thing I could do now was obey the cube’s wishes if Kagami-kun would not sign the paper.

Another side of Kuroko’s cube said “cooking with Kagami-kun”, and I intended to do just that. My helping duties were not over.

After several attempts at frying eggs and some pancakes from the recipes I found on the device Doctor Alex had given me, I placed the finished product before the door. It cost me a few scrapes and several wasted eggs, but it was done. The paper and pen were left untouched, but that was fine, too. It meant I would not be going anywhere until Kagami decided for good if he wanted me gone.

“Kagami-kun, please eat.” I quietly said. I expected no answer, and continued. “I will be back for tomorrow. Good night.”

I rose and left his home to the place where Doctor Alex instructed me to find, a building housing many recuperating and well known citizens she took care of.

“Don’t worry, they’re not all as intimidating as you’d think. Some of them are kind of eccentric, but you’ll be great friends with them, I know it,” Doctor Alex had reassured me with a wink. “If you get lost, just ask anyone where the Teiko Rehabilitation Center is. They’ll help you.”

Her words only made me more uneasy as I walked up to the entrance of the large traditional mansion.

 


	2. Chapter 2

I gently pushed open the glass doors of the traditional style mansion serving as a help center for patients in rehabilitation. Doctor Alex hadn’t filled me in on all the details, but she told me a few famous figures visited, and she worked there precisely to attend to a patient she knew was checked in to the center.

“Ah, you must be...Kuroko?” a black haired man with a beauty mark asked when he saw me standing awkwardly by the entrance. I had stood there for a while, at a loss on what to do. He had passed without noticing, but was back from a room I assumed was the cooking area; this time, he was carrying a strawberry cake in his hands.

I nodded. I considered the book on etiquette I had fleetingly scrolled through in the heap of junk in Kagami-kun’s room and bowed my head.

“Nice to meet you,” I quietly greeted.

I did not have many opportunities to speak, but it seemed I could not raise my voice any higher than this. I felt fortunate, because from my and Kagami’s short conversation, he would be doing the louder talking between the two of us.

“Nice to meet you, too.” The man politely bowed in return. “I am Tatsuya Himuro.”

I blinked in surprise. Was this man a foreigner? His Japanese was perfect, but the phrasing of his introduction was just like the ones from from overseas. It would be rude to assume he was.

A blonde head popped out from an open door in an adjacent hallway. The long blonde hair, glasses, and white coat were easily recognizable.

“Tatsuya!” Doctor Alex yelled down the hallway. “It’s last then first, remember?”

“I just forgot, okay, Alex!” He shouted back in English and turned to me to apologize. “Sorry about that. I’m Himuro Tatsuya, part-time doctor’s assistant and patient here at this center.”

“I am Kuroko,” I said. I frowned, because he already knew my name. “You said you were a patient here also?”

He chuckled. “Yes. I’m here for therapy for my...eye,” Himuro-san gestured to the dark hair covering the left side of his face, “and since Alex wanted to move out to Japan, I had to follow for my work and for reduced care fees.”

His explanation cleared up my confusion as to why he had not seen me at the door. His covered side was facing me and Himuro-san had only his right eye to see. I would keep in mind to stay within the correct side from now on.

I wanted to ask for more information, but considering I had not offered anything about myself, I decided to take off my shoes and follow him to the large hall Doctor Alex had disappeared into. What awaited me was a big surprise, with emphasis on big.

Inside stood a massive man a head taller than Doctor Alex and Himuro-san, both of whom were taller than me by a large margin. I had to crane my neck to see shoulder length purple hair and a crumb-covered face. He wore a lazy expression but it changed to interested when Himuro-san and I stepped into the room. With a closer look, I noticed his main focus was the cake in Himuro-san’s hand. He acknowledged me with quick glance.

 _'What did it take to get so tall,'_ I thought, unexpectedly bitter.

Doctor Alex was nowhere to be found. The only people who were present in the dining hall was the giant man standing in front of a table of two piles, one of discarded snack wrapping and the second of ready snacks; the other person was sleeping idly on the other end of the room in a cushioned chair.

"Atsushi, where did Alex go?" Himuro-san asked, walking up to the purple-haired giant.

“Muro-chin,” 'Atsushi' spoke in a surprisingly childish voice as he extended a large hand toward the cake, “Doctor Alex escaped through one of the emergency exits to find a wandering patient or something.”

“Why didn't you stop her?” Himuro-san sighed tiredly and brought the cake a further distance from his reach. “Kuroko, you can sit down next to Atsushi. He won’t mind.”

“I didn't want anyone to eat my snacks,” the giant muttered defensively as he lowered himself in his seat. He dwarfed the chair and table as he reluctantly slid his purple gaze to me. “Hello, my name is Murasakibara Atsushi. What’s yours, little boy?”

I did not like being called 'little boy' but introduced myself nonetheless. “I am Kuroko. Pleased to meet you, Murasakibara-kun.” I replaced my bow with a nod as I sat down. “Also, I am not a ‘little boy'.”

“Haa, you don’t even have a whole name? Weird,” Murasakibara-kun remarked. He ignored my comment about being called little altogether.

“Muro-chin, can I have cake please?” He pleaded to Himuro-san, who was busy cutting it into slices.

“You’re being rude, Atsushi,” Himuro-san said without looking up. “Please, get along with Kuroko. This might be his first time here in town, and I don’t think he has any friends yet.”

“Why do you always make me be nice to the newbies,” Murasakibara-kun grumbled in reply. He conversed unwillingly with me. “So, little blue haired person, do you like sweets?”

I shook my head. “I have not had the chance to try any."

Murasakibara-kun smiled and happily broke into an extensive discussion on the subject of different types of pastries and snacks he liked to bake. He proudly informed me he used to attend a culinary school overseas where Himuro-san worked and chose to move back home to help out in the town’s bakery.

“So you are not a patient here,” I stated. Overall, he appeared fine from what I could see.

For the first time, Murasakibara-kun hesitated. “No. I came here partly to be with Muro-chin, but partly because of the check ups Doctor Alex had me take every week before we left,” he explained sadly, not elaborating what kind of check ups he had. He appeared upset as he slowly chewed the current bar of the dozen or so he had consumed from the start of our conversation.

“I apologize,” I quickly said, and meaning it. “It seems I have tread on a topic you do not wish to discuss.”

He watched me, judged my sincerity as acceptable with a nod. He nudged one of his snacks across the table in my direction. I took it politely as a truce.

“It’s okay, Kuro-chin,” Murasakibara-kun said as he patted my head affectionately. His hand nearly engulfed the top of my head. A gentle ruffle and it almost felt nice. More pressure and I felt a twinge of annoyance. It was a strange feeling to want impulsively slap away the overly large hand.

“I see you two are getting along as I told you to,” a voice interrupted before the situation got out of hand. Himuro-san looked down at us with a gentle smile. “Cake?” he offered, a plate of yellow and white in each hand.

“Yay,” Murasakibara-kun cheered, our previous conversation’s atmosphere forgotten as he eagerly got to eating.

“Do you want a slice?” Himuro-san asked, turning to me. “It’s vanilla with strawberries.”

“Thank you.” My curiosity piqued at the mention of "vanilla" and I accepted politely once Himuro-san placed the triangular dessert in front of me.

I picked up the fork, observing how Himuro-san and Murasakibara-kun ate theirs. I imitated them, closed my eyes in preparation, and brought a bite to my mouth. Murasakibara-kun’s descriptions of each delicacies’ flavors made me eager to try sweets. I hoped Kagami-kun liked them as well. I had no idea how it would taste to me.

 _This flavor!_ It was so...

“How is it?” someone inquired through the fog of pure goodness.

“Delicious,” I murmured in awe.

“That’s great, Kuro-chin.”

In my mind, signals of "happiness" were sent in strong waves.

“Muro-chin, it looks like he just got a taste of heaven. What have you done? He’s heading for another slice! Save it before it’s too late!”

“Atsushi, you are in no position to complain about eating too much cake,” Himuro teased. “I might just have another slice for myself, too. It came out great as usual. The vanilla really enhances the strawberries.”

“Muro-chin and Kuro-chin have betrayed me,” Murasakibara-kun complained, his words muffled by cake.

I stopped savoring the feeling vanilla gave me to open my eyes and stare at him, slightly confused by what he said.

“What did you call me?” I asked, belatedly noticing he had been calling me something that was not my assigned name.

“I called you Kuro-chin, because I like you and you like my cake,” Murasakibara-kun replied, thoughtfully bringing his fork to his mouth. “We’re friends now, right?”

There it was again, the term 'friends'. Himuro-san had mentioned it earlier, and so did Doctor Alex on our way to Teiko. Friends were people who were nice and courteous to you, according to the device Alex had given me. Friends were people one relied on and were beneficial to one's self as the book on etiquette had said. I would like to think it made us friends. I liked Murasakibara-kun and Himuro-san as people.

“Yes,” I agreed, a small smile involuntarily growing on my face, “we are friends, Murasakibara-kun.”

“Wow, so Kuro-chin could smile like that,” Murasakibara-kun observed as he bent down to take a closer look at my face. “Muro-chin, it looks like our new friend here doesn’t always have a poker face. His poker face is different from yours, though.”

“I ain’t keeping a poker face, it’s my nature,” Himuro-san retorted in English. He chuckled and set down his fork. “I guess we’re your first friends at Teiko, huh? I’m glad." He smiled softly. “I hope you can get along with the other patients as easily as you did with us, Kuroko.”

“It is my pleasure, Himuro-san.”

“You don’t have to add the honorific. Just call me Himuro or Tatsuya.”

I shook my head, refusing the offer. “Himuro-san is older. It would be rude of me to be so familiar with you so soon.”

 _'Little do you know how much younger I actually am,'_ I did not add.

“If that’s what you want.” Himuro-san shrugged dismissively. “The ward mates back in the Yosen wing just call me Himuro or Tatsu-kun, so it's strange to be referred to so formally. Oh,” Himuro-san smacked a fist on the palm of his hand, lighting up with revelation, “Atsushi, don’t your wing mates add their quirks to people’s names like you do? I find it cute when you do it, but grown men doing it is…”

I kept quiet about the fact that Murasakibara-kun was clearly considered an unusually tall grown man with childish tendencies. I decided to listen to how the giant would respond. If there were others like Murasakibara-kun, I wished to know more of the interesting people in their lives.

“Mido-chin, Kise-chin, and maybe Aka-chin have one. Takao might with the ‘chan’ for Mido-chin.” Murasakibara-kun listed off names on his cake covered fingers. “I don’t think Sacchin has one. So, I guess they shouldn't be too angry at Kuro-chin for using proper honorifics.”

“Mm, but not everyone is as easygoing as we are.” Himuro-san tapped his fingers thoughtfully. “I can name on both hands the number of people who Kuroko would have a hard time with. They’re all residents of the MiraGen wing.”

Murasakibara-kun stopped licking his fingers to grimly warn, “Don’t say bad stuff about Aka-chin. You know what happened last time with Kagami.”

“You’re right.” Himuro-san groaned at the unseen memory, rubbing the space between his brows. “My mistake.”

“You know Kagami-kun?” I interrupted, my eyes widening at the way the two men veered the conversation to a level I could not comprehend. I had no idea who the people Murasakibara-kun mentioned were, yet my curiosity peaked when they mentioned Kagami-kun. Surely, it was my Kagami-kun they were talking about.

Himuro-san’s eyebrow shot up in surprise at my question and Murasakibara-kun paused in the act of cleaning his plate. They looked as if they had not expected me to utter his name at all. Their continuous silence made me feel as if I had done something wrong.

“Did Doctor Alex not tell you?” I said after a moment. Himuro-san was the first to answer.

“Tell us what?” he replied, tone unnaturally impassive. “Alex didn't tell us anything besides that a blue haired boy named Kuroko would be visiting here occasionally and we should welcome them as a friend." Himuro-san's gray eye narrowed. "By the way, you still haven't told us anything besides your name."

“What Muro-chin means to say is, what is your relationship to Kagami?” Murasakibara-kun said, bluntly.

“I am here in Teiko to help Kagami-kun and always be by his side,” I answered mechanically from memory. “It is my purpose to help him get better.”

“And what gives you the right?” Himuro-san demanded, eye filled with suspicion. His earlier politeness was gone, replaced with a stranger’s wariness.

“That, I cannot say.”

His suspicion abruptly turned to explosive fury as he rose from his seat, his chair tumbling back from the jerky movement. “You can't say? About my brother? Don't fuck with—!”

Murasakibara-kun’s hand clapped down over Himuro-san's mouth before he could utter another word of profanity. As Himuro-san struggled angrily in his grip, the giant glanced at me with eyes lazy and sympathetic. He effortlessly handled his friend in one arm and patted my head with his free hand before heading for the dining hall exit.

“Sorry, Kuro-chin,” he apologized over his shoulder as he forcibly dragged Himuro-san away. “Muro-chin just doesn't understand. He gets really hot-headed whenever his 'brother' is mentioned. Forgive him for now, okay? Look around for Doctor Alex and she'll tell you where to go.”

Murasakibara-kun and Himuro-san, my first two friends, left me alone. I was unable to react throughout the whole ordeal and was forced to think on his parting words. Himuro-san’s drastic change in attitude was triggered once I mentioned Kagami-kun, and from what Murasakibara-kun said, it was safe to assume Kagami-kun was close with Himuro-san.

The encounter left me wondering who else was involved with Kagami-kun. The key to healing him lied in the pieces he left in others he interacted with, and the biggest piece had died along with Kuroko Tetsuya. The piece I could not replace would be left as is, unless Kagami-kun opened up and allowed me to fill it. I could not know him by persistently completing Kagami-kun and Tetsuya's wishes. A person's character was polished through the interactions of other people, and with each experience received, they left a piece of themselves within each other.

The only thing I could do was be 'human-like' for Kagami-kun. To be human-like, I would observe humans by example, with their constantly shifting facial expressions, unpredictable emotions, and various shapes and sizes housing equally unpredictable hearts. Their turmoil, their happiness, their sorrow, all of it; I would be everything for Kagami-kun so he could smile and live again.

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Hellooo? Anyone in there?"

I jumped in my seat and hastily looked up into a pair of ashen eyes. My gaze was drawn to the stark orange scarf wrapped around their neck and shoulders. I slid my eyes back up to the stranger's face to see them blink owlishly down at me.

"Oh, man. That scared me for a second when you didn't respond." The stranger exhaled and brushed their black bangs back from their forehead in relief. "I see you met the Yosen duo. How did that go?"

I stayed silent, thinking of an appropriate response. The stranger took it as an answer.

"So that's how it is." They nodded in misplaced understanding. "Not good, huh? I could hear your conversation all the way from across the room." They pointed a finger at the resting area with the cushioned chairs set aside by the glass wall that had a pleasant view of the setting sun. I noted the color of the sky matched the color of their scarf.

"I do not think Himuro-san regards me as his friend anymore," I said offhandedly, knowing the other person would not understand. Himuro-san's furious outburst reflected that of Kagami-kun's earlier today. I did not understand why my presence caused so much unrest. Saying my worries out loud relieved them somewhat.

"You talked!" The stranger slapped a hand over their mouth, gray-blue eyes widening. "I mean...er, that guy is just suspicious of strangers. I wouldn't take it to heart." They leaned in closer, moving their hand to whisper in a gossipy manner. "I heard he got into some street brawl in the States that permanently scarred him, and that's why he's always got that 'keep out danger' vibe around him."

I regarded the black-haired stranger, a sociable male of some undetermined youth, and remembered. "I do not know your name."

"You're right." The man agreed after a moment, as if coming to the same realization. He held out his hand. "I'm Takao Kazunari. Nice to meet you...?"

"Kuroko." I took his cool, strong hand in a steady grip. What the significance of the action was for, I did not know.

"Kuroko, hi. I think we're going to get along the best." Takao-kun pumped my hand once and released it to snake an arm around my shoulders. "How about we go meet my buddies where I room?"

"Alright."

I let him steer me out of the dining hall and up a flight of stairs into the second floor where there were multiple signs and arrows directing visitors to each wing and room numbers. Takao-kun paid them no mind and made several turns to a hallway labeled with 'Shuutoku'.

"Here we are." He waved an arm grandly across the open area leading to several numbered doors with name plates. "Good old Shuutoku. Never underestimate the strangeness that goes on around here."

Takao-kun directed me to a door with a green name plate of 'Midorima' etched on it. Along the door's surface and frame were various stickers, charms, and mysterious symbols scrawled in black ink.

"What is this?" I inquired, feeling uneasy.

"My best buddy Shin-chan rooms here." Takao-kun side glanced me with a mysterious light dancing in his eyes. My sense of unease grew. "Would you like to meet them?"

I processed the pros and cons of meeting this person who Takao-kun regarded well enough to introduce first. There was no reason not to, putting aside the unique markings and items on the door. Perhaps they were a person of suspicion. I nodded my consent.

"Okay!" Takao-kun clapped his hands together. "Shin-chan~! We're coming in!" He knocked and pushed his way in without waiting for an answer.

Inside, it was dim with exception to the light from the doorway brightening the wall where multiple shelves held items of different sizes and variety, ranging from normal trinkets to large antiques. I decided the occupant was most definitely a person of suspicion, or had a hobby of collecting random objects that held their fancy.

A figure was seated on the edge of the bed pushed to the wall farthest from the window. They looked to be in the middle of wrapping their fingers with a roll of white tape in one hand. Their face was darkened in shadow, and the dim light reflected across the lenses they wore. It was eerie and strange, just like the contents of the room.

"Takao, I did not say you could enter my room," the man said. He continued wrapping his fingers nonchalantly.

"But Shin-chan, I wanted to show the new guy around," Takao-kun flippantly replied. He pushed me forward. "This is Kuroko. I met him downstairs in the mess hall."

The man Takao-kun called 'Shin-chan' regarded me in judging silence as he took me in. After a moment, he finished taping his fingers and rose from where he sat.

The clothing he wore confused me. Not only was he dressed properly, he also donned a lab coat like Doctor Alex. Perhaps he was not a patient at all.

He loomed, not nearly as intimidating as Murasakibara-kun, but close. His height had me wondering if all patients in the center were tall, excluding Takao-kun. His hair was a fern green like the forest I had seen on my way to Teiko, a color I could not see as flattering on anyone but him. The glasses he wore had to be of a heavy prescription to have frames so thick. In the right angle of light, the reflection obscured his eyes from view.

When he had stepped out into the hallway light, the reflection had been replaced with transparency, and I at last spotted the long lower lashes the man sported behind his lenses. He could almost have been considered a pleasant man to look at if not for the crease between his brows and the frown carved into a stern mouth.

I had an initial sense we would not get along well.

I said my greetings and bowed, hoping the other man would do the same. Instead, he stepped closer and stared at me in silent scrutiny.

"Is there something on my face?" I asked. I looked to Takao-kun questioningly. He shrugged his scarf-covered shoulders, as confused as I.

"You..." the man began, "what is your sign?"

"Pardon?"

"What is your sign?" He repeated.

This question was not in the book of common etiquette. I glanced to Takao-kun again, this time in panic. The occupant of the room followed my gaze and understood.

"I mean, when were you born?" he clarified. He sighed when I showed no signs of understanding. "Your birth date?"

My panic disappeared and reappeared with two times as much force in a span of seconds. I did not have to tell him the year, right?

"January 31st."

He nodded and pressed a hand to his chin. His irises were several tints lighter than the hair on his head, and they narrowed as he searched me over.

"You're an Aquarius." He gazed at me in pity. "We are not compatible, it seems."

Slightly shocked, I turned to Takao-kun. "Can he read minds?" I asked, astounded that a human could have a power like this.

Takao-kun blinked several times in rapid procession and then bursted into laughter. He covered his mouth when the doctor slash not-patient glared at him, but for some reason his gasps did not cease. He wiped at his eyes as he struggled to capture his breath and his fingers turned white as he clutched his scarf tightly. His gasps turned to coughs.

With alarm, I recognized this behavior was by no means normal and he needed medical attention immediately.

Little as it was, I noticed the fractional softening of the green haired man's eyes as he stepped up to Takao-kun and slowly rubbed his back in circles. He gently brushed his hands underneath the scarf, lifting it to expose something metallic circling the smaller man's throat. With a few precise mechanical input of buttons, the short labored breaths from Takao-kun become deep and slow. The not-patient, more doctor in the past few minutes than I had seen, glanced at me to gauge my reaction.

Eyes wide and curious, I made no moves to be loud or threatening. I looked back firmly to convey it was fine to proceed.

He rested his gaze on me briefly before focusing on Takao-kun, who was falling limp as he succumbed to sleep. Midorima-kun effortlessly lifted him into his arms and nodded his head toward the door silently. I obliged hurriedly and opened it wider, watching as he walked past to the room directly opposite.

The length of the door was covered from top to bottom in basketball player posters and hawk doodles. 'Takao Kazunari' was emblazoned in fancy sweeping handwriting for the orange nameplate.

Kicking it open impatiently, he strode inside and laid Takao-kun onto the unmade bed in the middle of the room. Slightly disorganized with miscellaneous items strewn across the floor and any space with parallel surface area, Takao-kun's room was a different type of cluttered. Very careless and unintentional, I read from the vibe. Similar to Kagami-kun in its likeliness.

From the doorway, I watched Midorima-kun pulling the covers over the slumbering man. His taped fingers lingered over the orange material, reluctant to leave him. He adjusted the scarf to better hide his neck when he next woke up.

Lastly, he rearranged the dark strands of hair off of Takao-kun's relaxed forehead and finally turned away with an exhausted sigh. Midorima-kun looked up and rose his eyebrows once he saw me silhouetted in the light of the hallway.

"You are very kind," I said, indicating the gentle way he handled Takao-kun.

Another sigh. "Kuroko, I presume?" he said in a hushed tone as he shut the door with a barely audible click. "I apologize in Takao's place. Please, keep what you saw today to yourself. As a doctor and a...friend of Takao's, I advise you to comply in case of future risk for his health."

Gazing at him for a long moment, I nodded once, intending to keep the incident to myself anyway.

At my nod, he pushed his thick glasses up the ridge of his nose with a "hmph". Midorima-kun then gestured to the chairs arranged in the middle of the wing's lobby, and we relocated where we would not disturb many of the residents.

After we were situated comfortably, he got straight to the point.

"Are you a new patient?" Midorima-kun asked, bluntly. "If so, I will have to request you refrain from making contact with Takao from now on. He is easily influenced by others, and as you saw today, it endangers him."

Maintaining my cool mask, I answered as best as I could.

"I am not." He stared at me, waiting for more of an explanation. "You may count me as an aide of some sorts, though not the kind you and Doctor Alex are."

"What do you mean?" Midorima-kun had sat down straight with his back to the chair, but was slowly leaning forward with his forearms on his knees, an assumed gesture for curiosity.

Knowing his true feelings, I elaborated. "I was brought here by Doctor Alex to help solely one person."

Midorima-kun lifted a taped hand to his lips, brows drawn in thought. "That is not much different from me," he muttered. "Is your charge Takao, then?"

I shook my head. "They are not registered into Teiko."

"I see." His shoulders sagged in relief, and he caught himself stiffly, not realizing he was reacting this way. He eyed me warily, determining if I noticed or not.

I did, but I made no indication I had on my features. What was his business was of no business of mine.

"May I ask something in return, Midorima-kun?"

An unreadable emotion flickered in his eyes before nodding and silently waiting for me to speak.

"What are you in this place? A doctor? A fellow patient like Takao-kun?" I asked.

Midorima-kun pressed his lips tightly into a thin line. "I used to be a doctor for a well-known hospital. You have probably heard of it, but I do not wish to say. As for why I am residing in countryside Teiko is for one reason, same as you." He glanced quickly at Takao-kun's door and returned his gaze to me. "Anything else on your mind?"

"Only one. Do you know where I can find Doctor Alex's office?"

"Main corridor to your left, a right to the Seirin wing, and straight on at Room 203. My official office can be found in the Miragen wing if you wish to discuss other matters, such as your health concerns."

I rose and bowed with my hands at my sides. "Thank you for your time and advice, Midorima-kun."

"Shouldn't it be Doctor Midorima to you?" If I was reading it correctly, maybe there was a joking lilt in his tone?

"I am nowhere as familiar as Takao-kun," I teased. "And our friendship should not be so formal, I think, if we are to get along." He spluttered indignantly as I strode toward the exit.

I paused and turned back to see him fidgeting with his glasses as his cheeks had reddened. "Midorima-kun?"

"What is it now?" he snapped, though with little bite.

"How do you feel about androids?"

He frowned, thrown off by such an off-topic question."The advancement of technology has made it so they are a natural thing in our daily lives. Their existence is certainly remarkable in regards to medical science. What for?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Instead of answering, I smiled slightly, a sense of amusement growing as I left for the Seirin wing, leaving behind a bemused Midorima-kun. Murasakibara-kun's 'Mido-chin' was certainly an interesting person to befriend.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update this time. Probably won't update for a few days.

Teiko was a confusing place to navigate.

Somehow, I had ended up in the Kaijou wing, the opposite of where I had intended to be according to the map stationed at the front desk. It would have been helpful if it was present at the divide between different wings and wards. I was now stranded in a wind of hallways and subsections.

Staring intently at the map, I gave up with a sigh. No use attempting to figure it out myself and getting more lost.

I glanced at the clock on my device and widened my eyes. Where had the time gone while I was here?

While I was boggling down at the screen and lamenting my time-wasting skills, a person bumped heavily into me, knocking it from my grasp onto the floor. I winced as it landed with a loud crack that resounded across the empty waiting area.

"Oh no, I'm sorry! I didn't see you there, are you okay?" a flustered male voice asked as I bent to pick it up, brushing off the dust and noting the impact had indeed left a spider web of cracks. What would I tell Doctor Alex when I met her again?

"It's nothing," I mumbled, lifting my eyes to see a pair of concerned amber ones gazing down at me.

"Really?" they said, pushing back their blond bangs to glance at the device in my hand. They widened when they saw the damage. "Oh, geez, it's the new expensive one, too. That's my fault isn't it? I'll pay for it, don't worry."

"Ah, that's..." I failed to counter that they didn't need to pay anything and it was careless of me to stand in the middle of a public place. They rambled on, obviously bothered and too busy digging out a pen and paper they had conjured from the recesses of their beige cardigan.

"Here, just write down your name and number, and I'll get it fixed ASAP," they assured me with a grin. "I know some guys around Kaijou who tinker with this stuff like it's nothing."

"Um." I felt overwhelmed as they thrust the materials in my hands. "You don't need to do that for me, mister."

They shook their head, and as their fringe skimmed over their eyes, I realized how long their lashes were. "Anything for a pretty one like you," they said, flashing a dazzling grin I suddenly found very annoying. "And the name's Kise Ryouta. It's saddening not even country beauties have heard of me."

I placed the pen and paper back into his hands to his surprise. "I have to decline your offer, as I do not know this 'number' of mine," I replied frostily. I had read up on people like Kise-san who used tactics like these to lure others within their trap. His wiles would not work on me. "I will take my leave, Kise-san."

"Eh, is that so." Kise-san tilted his head inquiringly as he tucked away his tools of deceit. "But you looked so lost I couldn't just leave you alone, you know. I don't even know your name."

I thought up something I could use to my advantage. He appeared to be a visitor in his casual stylish clothing, but he had no name tag to mark him as one. Surely he would know how to navigate the halls correctly, if he would be honest about it. I would take my chances on him.

"I will tell you if you help me," I offered.

"Okay!" he readily agreed. Strange. The blond waited for my instructions patiently.

"Please help me find Doctor Alex's office. I was told she occupied the Seirin wing," I requested. I narrowed my eyes in warning. "Do not lead me astray, Kise-san. I will know."

"Sure, of course." He nodded happily with another one of his wide grins on his flawless face. The sight of them were slightly irritating.

Kise-san led me with a gesture of his ringed fingers to follow him. Soon, we arrived uneventfully at Seirin after a few turns and stretches of corridors before Room 203.

"Now will you tell me?" he begged as we stood in front of the doctor's office.

"Yes," I agreed. Before doing that, I wanted something else as well. "Also..."

"What is it?"

I peered at him meekly. "Will you fix this, Kise-kun?" I lifted my hands to show him the destroyed device.

Instead of being angry, Kise-kun laughed goodnaturedly and took it from my palms. "You bet. I was going to do that anyway, unless you adamantly refused my help." He smiled, a warm glow on his skin. "So? Who is this mysterious person I will get acquainted with?"

"Kuroko."

Immediately as I uttered my name, a loud roar came from the end of the hall. We turned to see a black-haired man in a wheelchair rolling towards us at an alarming speed.

"Kiiiisseeeeee!" He hollered, impending doom promised in his furious glare. "Where are those snacks I asked for, huh? It's been an hour! Flirting with the visitors again, huuuh?"

Next to me, Kise-kun shuddered and muttered under his breath, "Kasamatsu-senpai..." before taking off down the opposite end, away from the fast approaching, rightfully enraged man.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kasamatsu-san boomed as he wheeled past me in chase of the escaping blond. "You have answers you owe me, you flirty model!"

"Kuroko, if you're still around, I'll talk to you soon, alright?"

Kise-kun took the time to risk sprinting backwards to wave and cast a heartfelt wink I avoided receiving, as if I did not know this outrageous flirt who picked up strangers for fun. I did not want Kasamatsu-san's rage to be extended toward me.

With a few shrieks and warnings from passerby who were unfazed by their attention grabbing shenanigans, they disappeared around a corner to cause havoc elsewhere.

Sighing, I gently knocked on Doctor Alex's door. When I heard no one answer, I turned the knob and entered.


	5. Chapter 5

"Doctor Alex?" Knocking on the door, I took in her office.

As expected, the space was characteristically disorganized. Paperwork and files were left strewn on various flat surfaces, a slight similarity to Takao-kun and Kagami-kun. A couple of drained coffee mugs were left sitting on a side table. A few tools were laid out in the open, as if the doctor had left while in the middle of tinkering with some gadgets. There was also, blatantly, no Doctor Alex.

The thing that stuck out the most was a multicolored cube, placed next to a picture frame face down on her desk. The cube, I realized, was like mine and Kagami-kun's, but it was entirely solved and worn from years of use. I reached out and sat down on a chair as I read the faded writing.

' _Become No.1 in WNBA!'_ was the most faded out of the six. ' _Find a useful career'_  was more recent than the others. ' _Teach the stubborn brats how to build their own toy robot'_ was another. I smiled sadly at that one. Her past could be described all in one cube.

I felt I had read enough. I put the cube back on the desk and moved to reach for the picture frame, curious as to who would be close enough to the doctor to be brought all the way from overseas to her office here.

"There you are!"

I retracted my hand to my lap and stood to greet Doctor Alex. "Good evening, Doctor Alex. I was looking for you."

She shook her head. "Sorry I had to leave you there with Tatsuya and the big guy. I was on break for an appointment so I had to leave right away." She waved a pager in one hand and scratched her cheek apologetically. "Though I'm surprised you found my private office so easily. Oh, please have a seat."

"It took some time, but I had help from a person named Kise-kun," I explained, recalling the dazzling blond's smile as I situated myself in a proper position facing the doctor. "I am not sure if he is a patient here."

"Kise Ryouta?" Doctor Alex's mouth dropped open as she went around behind her desk. "Now  _that's_  more surprising."

"I'm afraid I do not understand."

"How should I put this." She tapped a finger to her pager in thought as she sat down heavily in the high backed chair. "Kise's circumstances are special, so I can't tell you everything. I guess he doesn't take to certain people very well. Especially...people like you."

Her explanation cleared no questions I previously had. My confusion must have shown on my face because Doctor Alex suddenly laughed.

"I can see that you don't know what I'm trying to say," Doctor Alex said. She flashed a lopsided grin, several notches more cheerful than a moment before. "It's okay if you don't understand. Kise and the rest will tell you in time."

"Why is that?" Still confused and finding the topic drawing to a close, I asked uncertainly.

"If they have a good eye, they'll see a trustworthy person in you." Doctor Alex pointed a small tool she was twirling in her hand in my direction. "Take it from me, the half blind doctor slash engineer."

"I trust your advice," I said appreciatively.

"So, what did you need from me?" Doctor Alex placed the tool near the cube and shuffled a few papers in a pile.

"It is regarding Kagami-kun," I said, watching her erect the fallen picture frame, the photo facing her I noticed in disappointment.

"Ooohhh?" She halt for a split second and continued placing miscellaneous tools in a toolbox she had pulled from behind her desk. "What about him?"

"He is uncooperative." Her expression had become weird and her tone was difficult to determine. "I am not sure if I can change his mind about needing me."

Doctor Alex hummed and sat back to contemplate me, the overhead lights obscuring her eyes from view. We sat like that for a moment, her watching me and I waiting for her to...to what? To give me advice? Tell me what to do?

What was I waiting for?

"Doctor Alex?"

"What is it?"

"About Kagami-kun…"

She sighed and shrugged. "I can't do anything for you." Doctor Alex tossed a serious look my way. "But let me say this. Patience is a virtue! Did Taiga sign the paper?"

"No."

"So what did you do all day?"

"I cleaned Kagami-kun's place and cooked for him."

 _After several dozen attempts,_  I did not mention.

"He didn't tell you to stop? Didn't tell you to stay away?" Her inquiries were increasing in intensity.

"No. He told me to leave, that's all."

Doctor Alex clasped her hands together in satisfaction with a bright smile. "There you have it! Persist and you'll get results."

"I see…" As always, I was overwhelmed by her enthusiasm. I wondered where she got all of it from, considering her line of work. I knew she was well versed in machinery and the like, but what she did at a rehabilitation center was beyond me.

"Anything else you'd like to ask?" she offered.

I could think of nothing important. "None particularly at the moment."

"Alright-y."

"Ah, but there was something wrong with Takao-kun before, but Midorima-kun took care of it," I added.

"Even Takao?" Doctor Alex asked in surprise. "You  _have_  been busy. I didn't think you'd be such a social butterfly, Kuroko."

"They approached me, not the other way around," I corrected.

"Then they're drawn to you," she mused with a chuckle. "I'm surprised young Midorima didn't immediately send you out and file a complaint. He must have taken a liking to you."

I thought about the suspicious way Midorima-kun had looked at me and the protective demeanor as he held Takao-kun.

"I doubt that," I mumbled, uncertainly.

"Mm, well, I guess I'll have to check up on him along with Atsushi tomorrow. It's too late now." She stood up with a thick stack of files tucked under her arm, and I copied her in respect. "Why don't you go to the temporary room I arranged for you? It's not that far down from here. Go right and after four doors down you'll see it."

"We are not going back?" I asked as I followed her out the room.

"The whole point of the trip was to escort you to a place where I can keep an eye on you two," Doctor Alex explained as she locked up her office with her key card. "Do you not like it here?"

"It's not that..." I trailed off, watching her swish the key ring on her finger as she whistled down the hallway with the tails of her coat fluttering behind her. "I thought it would be better if I stayed with Kagami-kun."

The doctor stopped in front of a door and input a serial of numbers, and an opaque holographic screen popped up. She gestured for me to come closer.

"Put your eye level here so it can scan and identify you as the owner of the room," Doctor Alex instructed.

I obeyed and a red light flashed over my face slowly. It stopped a little above my eye with a few short blinks, then the screen turned green with confirmation. A beep and the door slid open to reveal a room similar to the one I had before coming here.

"Pretty standard but I requested a room with more outlets for the equipment." She sighed helplessly as she took a look around the bare room filled with essentials. "Unfortunately, the only place where they have numerous environment-friendly outlets was in the Miragen, and those rooms are expensive. Seirin was second best since the wing is new."

"I like it," I said, admiring the view the window had of the well cared for inner garden, though it was not nearly as beautiful as the one in Kagami-kun's home. I caught the eye of a person who was enjoying the interior hidden space, and quickly averted my own. "The room is just like me."

"Kuroko." I turned to see her smiling and gazing at me with a shine in her eyes. Maybe it was also a trick of the light. "If that's what you think, then I'm glad."

I opened my mouth to say something, but thought better of it. I opted for a humble "thank you".

"Haha, you're cute, kid," Doctor Alex replied with a brief ruffle of my hair. Why did everyone like to do that. "Get some rest."

I waited until the door clicked shut and then maneuvered over to the bed in the corner of the narrow room. At the foot of the bed were two pairs of clothing, one for sleeping and the other for the sake of having another to wear when the current outfit was washing. I was too tired from the day to change and collapsed onto the soft covers with a flop, dropping my bag onto the floor.

Inhaling the clean fresh smell from the new pillow, I willed myself to sleep to gather energy for another day to spend with the light of my life for the next few weeks.


	6. Chapter 6

I was awake by seven according to my inner clock along with the birds chirping by my window. As I stretched and creaked over to bend the blinds to glimpse outside, I spotted a birds' nest and a few baby chicks hidden by a bush only seen by me. I smiled when the mother flew back and brought them food in a frenzy.

The garden was filled with rays of morning sun peeping past the rooftops, highlighting the light mist hovering over it and catching on the damp traces of dew that had accumulated on everything overnight. At this time of day, I could hear water gurgling nearby from what might have been a mini stream or creek. If I had the chance, I would like to compliment the landscapers responsible for such detail and attention. The overall scene was very calming.

After going through my morning routine and properly making the bed, I wore the new outfit I was given and strapped on my carrier bag. Distracted, I picked up a piece of paper on the nearby desk and slipped it into the bag. I panicked for a minute until I realized my device was currently being repaired by Kise-kun, and once relieved, I left my room and headed towards the mess hall where I assumed most people would be having breakfast.

Now, when the halls were quiet and the occasional click of shoes on the tiled floor echoed from time to time, it was easier to navigate where I wanted to go, so I arrived at the mess hall in no time. There, I stood at the entrance and glanced around for any familiar faces.

A figure on the far end of the hall stood up and waved, whom I recognized was the seemingly recovered and ever energetic Takao-kun brandishing another orange designed scarf. Across from him was the ever unfazed Midorima-kun with a mysterious penguin doll taking up the spot beside him. I headed over to the pair immediately when I caught sight of them.

"Mornin', Kuroko. Did you get a good night's sleep?" Takao-kun asked when I sat down in an empty seat at their table.

"Good morning, Takao-kun. I think I did," I said to him. I nodded to Midorima-kun and he nodded back in return as our silent exchange. Takao-kun caught it with curiosity.

"Wow, I thought you guys didn't get along?" Takao-kun was looking at me but seemed to be speaking to Midorima-kun. "What happened while I was knocked out?"

Midorima-kun narrowed his eyes and shook his head once at me. I read it as "do not say a word". I obeyed, unknown to the reason why.

The doctor coughed into his hand. There was a lack of tape on his fingers today. His nails and fingers were well taken care of, with no scars or untrimmed cuticles marking his slender digits. He could have been a pianist, or maybe he decided to be a doctor and handle delicate work as required of the profession. They caught the eye easily.

"We were just discussing how similar we actually are, that's all," he said to him.

"Hmm." Takao-kun braced his chin against his palm contemplatively. "That Shin-chan would get along with someone right after that conversation is kinda..."

If I was not paying attention, I would not have noticed Midorima-kun holding his breath for what he would say next. It was as if he was expecting the worst to come out of Takao-kun's mouth, though for me who had known Takao-kun for a short time, I expected nothing but surprise.

"...ironic. Seems like you can't always follow what a horoscope says, huh?" Takao-kun finished instead, betraying none of my expectations and allowing Midorima-kun to exhale in relief. "I won't pry into what you guys talked about, though I can take a guess."

The doctor adjusted his glasses, a tick I had noticed occurred often when he was nervous or uncomfortable. "I should think you should keep it to yourself. Knowing you, it would not be an appropriate conversation for this table."

"How mean," Takao-kun remarked, unoffended and looking satisfied at the jab. "There's my Shin-chan."

"Who's this 'Shin-chan' of yours?" Midorima-kun growled with a hand curled tightly on the table.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he hummed lightly.

They stayed like that, Takao-kun smirking teasingly and Midorima-kun's lip curled in annoyance as he glared out the windowed wall. It was amusing in its own right at how obvious they were, but I had more important questions to discuss.

"Excuse me for interrupting your flirting, but may I ask why is it you both are awake so early?" I asked.

"F-f-f?!" Midorima-kun spluttered, unable to finish the word as an interesting expression colored his face. He looked oddly similar to a bespectacled tomato.

"Maa, well, I have classes and homework I have to attend to, since I'm still a student," Takao-kun replied, undeterred by my mention of flirting. He brightened and turned to me to suggest excitably, "You should join me, Kuroko! You look young enough to be in high school or a first year in university, unlike this old man Shin-chan."

"I'm only 25!" Came the doctor's indignant exclamation.

"I have to decline, Takao-kun," I refused politely. I felt reluctant to miss such an opportunity that would help me learn more about humanity, but every day away from Kagami-kun meant less time to help him. "I have more important things I must do than attend higher education."

Takao-kun returned to sitting forward, visibly deflating. "Aw, that's too bad. But Kuroko, seriously, think about it or take it up with Doctor Alex. You look smart and would probably do well as a doctor like yours truly." He gestured to Midorima-kun who was adjusting his penguin in a more proper position from slipping off the armless chair.

I raised an eyebrow at him, looking from the doctor to Takao-kun questioningly. He wanted me to become like that?

Takao-kun snickered behind his hand. "Okay, I see what you mean, but Shin-chan is Shin-chan. He can't help being Oha-Asa obsessed."

"Stop talking about me when I'm in front of you," Midorima-kun ordered without glancing at us. "It is not the time for that."

"The time!" Takao-kun hurriedly stood up and glanced at his device, gathering up the tray in front of him and bustling out his seat toward a trash bin. "Shin-chan, I gotta go, see you later!"

"Don't forget you have an appointment with Doctor Alex at one," Midorima-kun reminded as he watched him stride away.

Takao-kun merely waved without looking back and briskly power walked out the hall. The doctor released a sigh and uncrossed his arms once he was out of sight and stood up as well.

"This is where we depart, Kuroko," he said in the same manner, totting his penguin under one arm with dignity.

The doctor brushed past another man who uttered a clear "excuse me" as he entered with a book clutched in one hand. As he looked around for a place to sit, he saw me and headed toward my place near the glass wall in the sun.

"Do you mind?" the man asked at a respectable distance, indicating the open seat closest to the windows. Like Murasakibara-kun and Doctor Alex, he did not hesitate to look directly into my eyes. I found it interesting that his gaze appeared searching yet distant.

"Go ahead," I replied, nodding graciously. I did not have much to do besides wait for Doctor Alex to stop by.

He smiled, very friendly and open with his eight-shaped eyebrows and pink shirt with a cheerful yellow sun. Curiously, I watched him from the corner of my eye as he promptly sat and removed the interesting woven bookmark and began to read.

After a closer look at the cover, I realized he was reading one of the types of media called "manga" from the colorful graphics and style. He flipped through each page slowly, as if absorbing every detail to memorize for later.

Unable to contain myself, I asked him, "What is it you're reading?"

The brunet glanced up and smiled again, looking glad that I asked. He placed the curious bookmark in the place he stopped at and closed it to show me the cover. I shuffled closer to the seat across from him.

"'Commander...Effie?" I read with difficulty from the title. Illustrated in hard black lines was a heavily muscled man with a broad chest posing heroically in red, black, and white tights. One of those popular superhero comics, I presumed.

"Yeah, like the periodic symbol for iron!" the man explained in excitement. He tapped the cover with a wide smile on his face, pointing at the "Fe" symbol emblazoned on the hero's chest. "Isn't that cool? A precious friend of mine loves him."

"Is that so." I did not know how to react to such a positive expression of delight for a man estimated to be as tall and large as Murasakibara-kun. There was something lovable in the way big grown figures proved to be docile and kind.

He nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he's my best friend. Though I don't think he thinks the same way," he said with a helpless smile. He then procured a bag of hard candy from the pockets of his trousers (too like the giant, I noted privately in mirth). He offered the open bag to me but I shook my head.

"I'm Kiyoshi Teppei," he said as he popped a candy into his mouth.

"Hello, Kiyoshi-san," I returned. "I am Kuroko."

"Kuroko-kun? Are you the child - I mean, the young one that came with Doctor Alex?" Kiyoshi-san asked while attempting to pop more candy into his mouth with little success. He looked a little silly as they fell to the table and were rendered inedible.

"Yes. How did you know?"

He hummed a light tune. "I guess because we're in the same wing? Word travels fast around Seirin, since there's so few of us," he said.

"Kiyoshi-san, how were you aware I was the new resident?" I inquired cautiously. "I have only arrived yesterday and have yet to greet anyone."

The wings and wards were drastically different with how they identified rooms and the amount of technology built into each from my observations. A clear example would be the difference from regular hinged doors in Shuutoku to the advanced electric sliding doors in Seirin. Shuutoku had the standard name plates above or on the doors while Seirin had iris scan to identify the owner of the room. There was no clear way to identify or enter someone else's unless informed by a doctor or nurse in charge.

"I _am_ a senior Seirin resident, so I guess I get some privilege to know who comes and goes?" Kiyoshi-san speculated, pursing his lips. "I recently came back to Teiko from Shoei after working and finally receivig a break. These old joints need repair, you know?"

He lifts his leg and gestures where from the knee down is an old fashioned metal prosthetic that was popular a few decades ago. Shock from not noticing it when he walked in and the casual way Kiyoshi-san informed me widened my eyes.

"Don't feel bad," Kiyoshi-san placated with a carefree smile as he lowered his leg. "I don't regret it one bit."

I fell silent, unable to reply back with a suitable response, as I had with Himuro-san and Kasamatsu-san. It was no place of mine to provide my condolences or apologies to them.

"I hope your friend thinks the same of you," I murmured instead, considering the topic of his most valued friend a safe topic to converse about.

"Yeah." Kiyoshi-san's smile widened and his dark brown eyes warmed as he beamed down at his book sheepishly. "Hyuuga-kun will always think I'm the superhero-obsessed fanatic of Seirin."

"Oooii, slacking off again?"

A clipboard smacked Kiyoshi-san on the top of his head as the owner attached to it glared down at the brunet from behind his glasses. He had short black hair and wore khakis with a red polo that had _Teiko_ sewed on at the chest, which I assumed were the basic uniform for the center. He stood at Kiyoshi-san's shoulder with his hip cocked and a hand to his waist.

"Hyuuga, that hurt," Kiyoshi-san whined as he rubbed the sore spot. "Good morning to you, too."

"Hey, don't make it sound like I always do this as a greeting," Hyuuga-san retorted. He looked to me, and asked with less intensity. "Who's this?"

"This is Kuroko-kun!" Kiyoshi-san replied, a hand outstretched in my direction. "He's the newbie Riko and Alex-san have been gossiping about."

"Kuroko?" Hyuuga-san sent a measuring gaze my way. "Your name sounds familiar..."

"Now that you say, I think it does a ring a bell."

Hyuuga-san and Kiyoshi-san glanced at each other, brows drawn together as they tried to remember. After a moment, they exhaled a collective sigh and shrugged their shoulders.

"We'll remember when it comes to us," Hyuuga-san said as he scratched his neck.

His hand snaked out and gripped the collar of the brunet's pink shirt tightly, abruptly pulling the man to him. "And, you..." he muttered, his tone promising punishment and the vein bulging on his forehead threatening to burst.

"Ah, Hyuuga..." Kiyoshi-san tried to back up in his seat and get away but the fingers at his shirt hold.

"You think you can escape from this? Hm?" Hyuuga-san hissed, a scary smile on his lips. It would not be strange to imagine him as the stereotypical "yankee" the way he behaved in a dangerous manner. But that appeared only to be toward Kiyoshi-san, so his wrath only applied to him.

"U-uh -"

"You've postponed this too long for me to ignore, Kiyoshi." Hyuuga-san continued to smile as he dragged him out of his seat. "I don't wanna hear Riko talking my ear off during my only lunch break. Do you wanna have her do the session herself?"

"...Okay."

Kiyoshi-san relented and let him drag his body away. As Hyuuga-san stomped toward the food area to snatch bread and coffee, I glanced toward the forgotten manga book left behind. I picked it up and raised my voice as loud as I could.

"K-Kiyoshi-san!"

The men turned to me as I rose to indicate the book in my hand. Kiyoshi-san shook his head and grinned apologetically.

"Keep it. We'll see each other again, so give it to me then."

"Heck yeah, he better keep it 'til later. You'll only be distracted otherwise, so we'll both have to thank Kuroko later," Hyuuga-san snapped as they left. "Geez, why are you so heavy..."

I placed the manga into my bag and decided there was no need to wait in the mess hall. A little exploring would do no harm, and I had yet to visit all of the residents and wards. Anticipation as I thought of visiting the garden, and soon the baby birds, shot through me immediately. Kagami-kun would have to wait.

Searching for the exit on the glass wall, I nearly skimmed over the door blending in with the window pane, if not for the EXIT sign placed above in bright red. I headed toward it and turned the metal carved handle.

The silence of the mess hall was a great contrast to the outdoors where there seemed to always be some sort of din, no matter how small, resounding near and far in the distance. Various noises gave information to the life the garden nurtured, such as the cheeping of the birds and the crickets singing in the lower bushes.

The color was like a painting. The manga Kiyoshi-san read was in all black and white, so I could not see the appeal. Colors would always be my favorite, as there were so many to see. Flowers were just as abundant in variety.

Crouching to peer at a red and yellow flower, I wondered if I should purchase some for Kagami-kun, since they were always as present in Kagami-kun and Tetsuya's pictures as there were cubes and smiles. Perhaps the beauty would bring him temporary happiness.

As I reached for the flower, a voice halted me in the action, filled with such authority it was difficult to disobey.

"They are to remain on and attached to the property, no matter how beautiful they may be."

A jolt of fear down my spine, and I glanced up into a pair of gold and crimson, as vibrant as the petals near my hand.

"Do not go against my advice and I'll make life in Teiko easy."

A flaming red that signaled and screamed danger, I first thought upon meeting this person:

_A solitary flower too unearthly and perfect in all the right ways._

"The Akashi donated botanical garden will not be soiled by the hands of a normal resident who does not value it correctly. My first and only warning to you, Kuroko Tetsuya."

_Touch and I will be poisoned._


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The redhead and sheltered _bocchan_ has appeared.

Retracting the offending fingers from the valued flowers, I stood to face the person who had ordered (threatened?) to make my life at Teiko difficult. Strangely, it was not unexpected coming from someone who looked so imposing and comfortable sitting casually against a column holding up the tiled roof.

"Thank you for telling me," I said, bowing shortly in apology. "I would not have known if you didn't."

"No thanks needed," the redhead sniffed, waving it away with a hand that held a fan that matched his silk robes. The design was a gold-threaded dragon atop red canvas. "I've been meaning to add a sign for lost visitors to read so as not to damage the place."

"It is very beautiful," I complimented honestly, glancing around at the surrounding pocket of nature. "The baby birds add a wonderful soothing atmosphere to it."

"Birds?" he repeated, tilting his head slightly. "Is that some sort of metaphor?"

"I mean the ones by my room in the Seirin wing," I elaborated, pointing in its general direction where a huge shrub hid half the window from sight. He glanced over and narrowed his eyes as he unfurled his fan to cover his mouth. Faintly, the chirping from the chicks reached our spot in the middle of the inner garden.

"I did not request for them to be there. They're an anomaly in the niche," he observed.

In his tone was a dangerous warning I did not like. Instinctively, I was urged to protect the young birds from their potential fate.

"Do not remove them from their nest."

The redhead blinked and turned slightly to me. "What makes you think that, Tetsuya?"

I felt a slight bit of anger for the first time. The way he spoke down to me made one feel inferior, though it sounded respectful and right for him as a youth who appeared to be beyond his actual age. His stature and demeanor was estimated to be similar to Tetsuya's, so the authority seemed unwarranted.

"Call me Kuroko."

He leisurely fanned himself with an arm propped under his chin. "And why should I do that?" he inquired.

"The name does not have many fond memories. Kuroko is preferred."

I was not particularly lying when I said that. He must have caught on at my skirting the question but accepted it for the moment in a bout of generosity, if the sigh said as much.

"Kuroko, then." He aimed that peculiar, piercing gaze at me. "What are you doing in the private garden of Akashi Seijuurou at such an early hour?"

Surprised, I asked, "This is your garden?"

"Have you read nothing on this center, even though you have registered to be housed here?" Akashi-kun tsked disapprovingly. "The Akashi have made numerous donations to fund and project the facilities of Teiko, along with flying and accommodating expert Doctor Garcia. The least you can do is know the one who sponsors it."

I had no response to the barrage of information, so I answered his question instead.

"It caught my interest was all, Akashi-kun." Remembering the cube that was tossed into Kagami-kun's garden fountain, I creased my brow and then realized I would be able to fish it out later today. I smiled small and looked at Akashi-kun politely. "It reminded me of another one just like it."

Akashi-kun blinked slowly once with his mouth slightly ajar, as if I had interrupted or stunned him. After a moment, he shook himself out of his temporary stupor and continued on.

"I will forgive the informalities, but are you implying someone else has an expensive and exclusively designed garden more aesthetically pleasing than mine?" He waved a hand toward the surrounding greenery.

Feeling like I had stepped on a sore spot, I chose my words carefully.

"Perhaps to my inexperienced eye, the other garden is more beautiful because it was the first one I laid my eyes upon," I gazed at him steadily, conveying I meant no offense, "but yes, that is what I imply. Not to make any excuses, of course, Akashi-kun."

He had turned away as I was speaking and was gazing in the direction of where the birds were hidden with a faraway look. As I finished, he had retained his calm expression that could even be interpreted as apathetic. He contemplated me more for another moment before straightening and rising on his feet.

"If I may ask, do you have a personal or professional device to photograph this amazing rival garden of yours?" Akashi-kun asked as he brushed any debris or pollen on his clothes.

I tilted my head and wondered silently at the off topic question. "No, I am afraid it is in repair right now. What for, Akashi-kun?"

He lifted his head regally, and I meant this with no mockery at all, like a pampered bird or cat that knew its own value and status. Unfortunately, this being of royalty had no owner and the world itself endowed him with gifts natural and impossible.

With the golden eye trained on me which I was certain knew me better than myself, he smiled gently as if I had pleased him in some way.

"So many questions from you," Akashi-kun remarked with a touch of amusement that lit his eyes warmly. "I cannot leave my residence here of my own volition, so I will need you to be my eyes for me. I will give you one while your own is in repair - actually, it would be better if you gave it directly to me so I may pass it on to the technical staff. The process will be faster."

I corrected him with a slight aura of awkwardness.

"Thank you for the kind offer, but I have already given it to Kise-kun in return for helping me," I explained.

"You've spoken and interacted with Ryouta?" Akashi-kun looked taken aback.

"Yes?"

First Doctor Alex and then Akashi-kun's surprise confused me. Was it wrong to speak to him? If not for his overly familiar attitude, I thought him as another person who liked to socialize and stand out.

Akashi-kun read my mind easily and eased my concerns.

"Ryouta is not fond of conversing to many of the male population after a certain incident, so it is unusual for him to do so after so little progress of change."

Recalling our conversation yesterday, I realized with dread at what might have happened. Next time I saw him, I was not sure if I would want to hit him or avoid him at all costs.

"Kise-kun might have mistaken me for a town girl…"

Akashi-kun burst into a light chuckle as he tried to snuff it down behind his fan while he leaned against the pillar.

"Ah, that - that is likely," he managed. Akashi-kun glanced at my face and smiled appeasingly. "Do not be angered, Kuroko. Your demeanor is very quiet and respectful, which would draw many to conclude you have good intentions. In a generalization, you have an innate desired quality most human men do not. A pureness, if you want to call it a name."

"Thank you, but whoever thinks that is wrong." My mind goes back to Kagami-kun and the space he took up in my thoughts. "My intentions can't be categorized as pure. More obligatory maybe. Dutiful."

He raised an eyebrow. "If you insist so adamantly. I had no idea we were talking about personal emotions rather than behavior."

Gazing at a bee lazily buzzing past my nose, I answered wistfully. "If we talk about feelings, then it is impossible for me to have any."

Akashi-kun narrowed his eyes, likely in confusion, and opened his mouth to quickly respond. "What-"

"Young Master! It is time for breakfast."

A stern feminine voice filtered from a paneled door that had slid open to reveal a middle aged woman in an apron furtively glancing around the garden. Once she laid her eyes on Akashi-kun, she slapped her hand onto the wood floor impatiently and raised her volume.

"Young Master, please halt your habit of visiting the garden alone when you are to be seated for occasions such as this. Today is important because the Master will be visiting."

"Shit," Akaashi-kun muttered from the side of his mouth unexpectedly, and he turned to me abruptly. "Kuroko, be here tomorrow. We will continue this discussion later."

Leaving no room for refusal, he irritably stalked toward where the woman waited without a glance back. She watched him walk in and cast a last search over the garden, her eyes scanning over my hiding position easily as if I wasn't there. Shrugging her shoulders, she went inside, but not before I distantly heard her say, "Who was it you were talking to, Young Master?"

Discovering myself alone and with the bees, I rose and decided I had enough of flower viewing. Everyone else was busy or were yet to wake, which I hoped would be the case for Kagami-kun; if he was asleep, then it would make the day easier.

“Maybe I should go out another way, since coming back through the dining hall would scare a few residents,” I reasoned to myself, and following the stone path out past a gated fence, I left the Teiko Rehabilitation Center for Day 2 of Kagami-kun’s endeavors.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introductions will be drawing to a close soon...and progress with our main duo will be made.

"Gyah, get that thing away from me!"

I seriously contemplated the dripping wet cube sitting in front of me on the wooden floor, reading the slightly blurred words over and over again with a hand gripping my chin in confusion. This reaction was too different from what I expected when it said so written by Tetsuya.

" _Get Taiga a dog"_  in bold writing, yet nothing seemed accomplished after all. Perhaps Tetsuya had wrote it wrong?

"Kuroko or whatever you're called, put it back where it came from!"

Puppy - a baby husky by the looks of it - barked each time Kagami-kun yelped in terror or delight; it was difficult to differentiate between the two, but the way he backed up and tried to close the door to his dark cave had me think this case was the former and a bad idea.

Still, on my way here, I had found the trembling creature on the side of the road shivering and starving. Its pitiable large blue eyes I could not ignore, and if I had the capacity to, I felt I would truly be inhuman to leave it like the other passing towns people. The way it had zeroed in on me while wagging its tail had me in a trance, resulting in how I arrived at Kagami-kun's home with another member to add to the household.

It was entirely coincidence that my discovery of Puppy aligned with the wishes of Tetsuya's sodden cube. I was feeling giddy until I showed Puppy to Kagami-kun only to receive a manly shriek in response.

"Why did you have to bring the beast in here? Take it back to the pound or the place you're staying at or something! Like, far away from me?" Kagami-kun suggested desperately, shifting his burgundy eyes anxiously from the non-lethal puppy leashed to a pillar and then to me.

"Kagami-kun, I didn't know you disliked dogs." I waved a hand over to the pup and it obediently trotted over to let me pick it up close to my cheek. "Look at how harmless Puppy is."

"First of all, you have horrible naming sense," Kagami-kun's eyebrows, strangely split, scrunched together in exasperation, "and second, a dog bit me when I was a kid so I hate the sight of them. They creep me out."

"That is unfortunate," I said, sadly. It really was. For Kagami-kun, that is. "Because Puppy has no choice but to live here for the time being. Teiko does not allow animals onto its property."

"As I said, the pound."

Sighing tiredly, I shook my head. "I have read on what they do to unwanted animals. I do not want Puppy to be put down." I peered at Kagami-kun, placing Puppy even closer to my face so we were both gazing guilelessly at him. "Do you want that to happen, Kagami-kun?"

He glanced away and scowled at the wall. "Don't make that face." He dared to glare menacingly. "Both of you. Like owner like dog. The resemblance is so weird. It must be the eyes," he muttered.

"I am glad you acknowledge that he is here to stay."

"Don't count on it. I don't want the mutt to die because of my selfishness."

The end of his reply was seemingly bitter. I did not comment and put down the pup after it began to whine cutely. A growl from Kagami-kun's stomach followed immediately after. I chuckled lightly behind my hand.

"While I make breakfast, how about you two get to know each other better?" I saw Kagami-kun shrink back into his cave, so before he completely closed himself off, I added quickly. "Think of a more suitable name for him is all I ask, unless you wish for me to write down his name as 'Puppy' on the certificate."

"Fine," he grumbled, reluctantly. He stayed within the refines of his closet with his door propped a little ways open in full view of Puppy. "I got my eye on you, mutt." The pup barked happily, making him flinch.

With amusement lighting my steps, I started working on the near impossible task that was cooking. It was a good thing I wrote down the recipes beforehand because the lack of device to help me would do neither of us any good if I tried from memory.

It took significantly less time than yesterday to prepare the food, but I still came out with several mistakes and do-overs. Next time, I promised myself. I would improve and create the most delicious meal Kagami-kun ever tasted. Maybe Murasakibara-kun could give me tips, if the same rules applied to baking.

When I came back to Kagami-kun's room with the tray of mediocre meal in hand, I was surprised to find Puppy gone from his post. Instead, Kagami-kun's door had slid wide open and the interior was shown to reveal a missing shut-in as well.

A yip and I turned to see Kagami-kun's wide back and his bent form. Nearing closer, I saw him struggling to put something on the puppy, resolving the problem of missing animal and charge. It looked as if he was not so afraid after all.

I placed the tray gently on the floor and snuck close to watch him concentrate on the task.

"What are you doing, Kagami-kun?"

He jumped and cursed as he swung around, looking guilty at being caught. "Kuroko,  _shit._  Don't do that."

"It is not my fault you did not notice me," I said. "Unlike him." I gestured to the pup, who was wagging his tail with his tiny pink tongue out. On his little furry body was a toddler-sized clothing half put on with one front leg through a sleeve hole.

"A-Anyway, I was trying to put on a sweater for Tetsuya Nigou since he was shivering so bad," Kagami-kun stammered, keeping his gaze to the floor. "It's summer out, so maybe he's still cold from this morning."

"Unexpectedly smart thinking." I knelt with a hand out, and newly crowned Nigou padded forward awkwardly to tentatively lick my fingers. "A very creative name as well." For the first time, I made use of serious sarcasm.

"It's at least better than yours and makes sense," Kagami-kun shot back, crossing his arms with his body half facing me.

Absorbing Kagami-kun fully, I felt astonishment at how built he was as a permanent shut-in. Were they not supposed to be inactive citizens of society and thus losing the willpower to keep in shape? The defined muscles of his biceps and stomach were contradicting to this stereotyped image.

Offending Kagami-kun after the progress I had made with bringing him out into the open was not wise. A feeling that bothering him any longer would only push him away prompted me to make an excuse to give him space. Taking Nigou along with me would lessen his stress, too.

"I need to find proper sources for Nigou's arrangements and food, so I will be gone for the rest of the day until evening," I said quietly in explanation and farewell. "Enjoy the meal, Kagami-kun. I made extra in the refrigerator for lunch."

Scooping Nigou into my arms, I left him alone to his own devices, with the freedom to choose as he pleased. Kagami-kun was accepting my help and not denying my existence. Little by little progress would be made. I was satisfied with how our relationship was going.

I did have all the time in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been wondering if I should change the POV from first person to third person. Will this change how the story is viewed? Will this impact at how Kuroko views his strange unfamiliar world? Would this change be more acceptable for readers?


	9. Chapter 9

"Let's go, Nigou. Maybe some people around town will be able to help," I murmured to the small animal cradled snugly in my arms. The warmth Nigou generated gave a sense of soothing calm over me, being so close to a living body. Perhaps this is what they meant, therapy by close interaction and relations. It was indeed working. I had so little contact from others I welcomed it whenever it might come.

I put Nigou down on the foyer and adjusted his adorable sweater to fit comfortably, and then slipped on my shoes to head out to who knew where. Snatching my bag and leftover cooked omelet to feed him, I tucked Nigou inside to carry around. As a puppy, strenuous walks across the town would tire him especially with so little energy reserves.

While asking for directions from locals lounging outside their homes (and frightening them temporarily in the process), I navigated to where the town's sole pet store stood surprisingly normal in a regular building next to an empty lot. It was a weekday, and in between work and lunch nonetheless, so customers and traffic was sparse. We easily snuck in, with some problems getting through the automatic door until a customer walked out without noticing us to the side to our silent embarrassment. I could tell with the drooping of Nigou's black-tipped ears that he was in disbelief as well when the machine did not register our presence.

The atmosphere inside was a mix of humid and cool depending on which section we skimmed through. For the warm-blooded pets, we came upon small hamsters and domestic animals. The cold-blooded were varied from fish to snakes. The insect section we gave a wide berth.

As we were browsing the toys and feed bags, someone cleared their throat behind us. We straightened and faced them, detecting in the abrupt interruption an overbearing trouble would descend on us.

A girl, slightly shorter with long pink hair and round curious eyes, stood with a clipboard clutched in one hand and the other on her hip as she tapped her heels rhythmically on the hard tiled floor. The uniform was the one for the employees of the store.

"Do you mind if I ask you a question, sir?" she requested, smiling innocently enough. We were still on edge.

"Please," I said, gripping the strap of my bag close nervously.

She strode closer until she was less than a step near where I stood in the aisle. She bent her torso forward to lean in and whisper. "How did you find a puppy so cute?! Look at that sweater!"

Her voice increased in volume, gradually ending in a high pitched squeal as she knelt to gaze adoringly at Nigou near my waist. For a dog, his surprise was easy to read with the flattening of his ears and a meek whimper.

"I found him abandoned around the neighborhood," I hesitantly explained.

"Aww," she cooed sympathetically. "I'm so glad he's as cute as his owner. I'm Momoi by the way. If you didn't know already, I work here." She rose and stuck her hand out politely.

Knowing the correct protocol from yesterday's experience, I took it. "Kuroko," I said, "new owner of Nigou." I nodded my head to indicate him as I patted the space between his ears.

"Number two of what?" she asked, releasing my hand. Her palms had felt slightly sweaty.

"Apparently of someone Nigou reminded the namer of."

"I see. I guess you don't know who he was named after, huh?" Momoi-san smiled knowingly.

Now that she mentioned it, "I never thought to ask."

She hummed in amusement as she tucked the clipboard behind her as she circled me. "You're new to this," she stated matter-of-factly.

I nodded at her observation. "Nigou is very hungry and my device to look up how-to's is in repair at the moment."

"Aha, this is my chance to come to your rescue! You can't be a hero if you don't know how to take care of your pet! Poor care makes a poor person," she informed me, utterly serious.

"Guide me well, Momoi-san," I said in reverence. She was more of a savior than I, who did not know anything. Her knowledge and wisdom were valuable to us, the newborn and the ignorant. "I trust your advice."

"Aw, you flatter me." She waved a hand dismissively yet blushed underneath her fingers. "Let's just set you up with the basic stuff quickly so this adorable guy can go home and feast." Momoi-san tweaked Nigou's nose to his indignant whine.

At the counter, she asked for personal ID or something to pay for the materials. Placing Nigou on the counter along with the items, I fished around the bag in search of anything, and my fingers brushed a wrinkled piece of paper. Pulling it out, I remembered I had distractedly slipped it in there without a thought this morning.

I read where in bold fancy writing it said "Akashi Pardon & Bill" with a complicated logo in the center. I held it out to Momoi-san.

"I am not sure what this means, but will this do?"

She took it, and as her eyes skimmed over the letters, they widened and she quickly glanced from me to the paper. "Oh no, this is completely fine! Now I just know where to place the billing so you don't have to worry about paying now. As long as I check out the items, they're good to go."

She looked anxious as she said it, but if Momoi-san said it was fine then there was no reason to complain. She bagged the items and offered to be of service tomorrow whenever I had free time with a strained smile.

To calm her strayed nerves, I did not leave right away, assuming she was worried about how I would tot around the five kilogram bag of kibble across town.

"It's alright, Momoi-san," I assured as I tied Nigou's new leash to my wrist tightly. "I am not so weak to be able to struggle with just this."

Momoi-san reddened deeper as I spoke, and I wondered what I had said wrong. Just as I was about to ask, she interrupted me with a shake of her head.

"I'm okay. Try to make it up to Akashi-kun as soon as possible. Promise me, Kuroko-kun?"

It was the first time I heard her say my name. I smiled gently at her, and she ducked her head shyly.

"I promise."

Momoi-san let out a small sigh of relief and finally smiled as she did before, when she praised Nigou.

"Thank you. I hope you both have a nice day! I'll help you in any way I can next time."

"We will meet again soon." I had chance meetings with all of Murasakibara-kun's friends in two days already. Teiko really was a small place.

With a raised eyebrow, she tilted her head while retaining her business smile as she waved us off and attended to the next customer in line.

As we approached the exit to our shared dread, the doors slid open when a tall customer entered. I quickly shuffled forward with the kibble and bags in my arms and Nigou in the lead before it shut. In our rush, Nigou had advanced too far ahead, and I stumbled to accidentally bump into the person as they passed. It felt like hitting a rock wall.

"Watch it," they grumbled gruffly. "I'm in a hurry."

I had no time to give a reply, because I had realized it was nearly sundown. Nigou and most likely Kagami-kun were starving, knowing the helpless and little desire to expend effort Kagami-kun had expressed earlier.

Striding out the lot, we walked past three men in dark suits smoking against the side of the building. They didn't look up as I strode quickly across the street. They flicked the ashes off their cigarettes and spoke loudly to themselves.

"He needs to give us the cash quick or else boss will kill us," the blond one complained, stubbing the butt of his cigarette against the bricks he was leaning on.

The dark-haired one with glasses smirked. "Our boy hasn't disappointed us yet, Waka. You're always so impatient when it comes to collecting," he chided. "Is it because he has a woman and you don't?"

"The fuck you callin' 'Waka'?"

"Who's the one managing your finances and accounts, hm?"

The shorter brunet waved his hands frantically between the two men facing off as he tried to make peace. "Guys, stop it! People might see and think we're suspicious," he cried on the verge of tears.

The dark-haired one chuckled with mirth. "Too late." He opened his slit eyes and caught my curious stare from across the intersection. I averted my eyes and turned the corner, having heard enough of what I assumed was a dangerous conversation.

 _Scary_ , I thought. I had avoided an encounter regarding the shadow of Teiko. Reporting this to anyone would do more harm than good.

"I hope Momoi-san is okay." I worried about her safety, but I felt she would be protected with the high security placed inside the store.

Arriving at Kagami-kun's home, I spotted someone lurking outside while trying to peer in through the windows. A shot of fear went through me, thinking back to the intimidating slant-eyed man. Nigou barked before I could shush him and tell him not to make any noise. The figure straightened and I could clearly see them as someone familiar.

"Doctor Alex," I stated in surprise. I had not recognized her without her lab coat and loose hair.

"Kuroko! I was worried since you didn't show up today. And who's this?" She grinned at Nigou and ruffled up his black and white fur playfully from under his sweater. She retracted her hands and they came off with brown filth. "Apparently, very dirty."

"Come inside and wash off. I have been meaning to clean up and feed Nigou all day." I roughly slid the door wider so both of them could enter.

She laughed goodnaturedly. "How about I take care of cleaning him? That way we could wash up together," Doctor Alex suggested, holding up her filthy hands. She laughed when she saw my concerned expression. "Honestly, I don't mind. It's no different from oil and grease."

I heaved the kibble onto the kitchen floor and dumped the bag of dog items onto the counter. "It is a welcome idea. You may go ahead while I make us dinner," I said. I faintly noted the clatter of movement from the general direction of Kagami-kun's quarters.

"Oh, and dinner! You're so helpful," Doctor Alex said with a sparkle in her eyes. "I should have come over sooner."

I did not tell her I was half decent at cooking. Leave that for her to find out later. I was not confident that I would be able to appease her tastes.

After my slightly improved attempts at an edible meal, I decided to pay a visit to Kagami-kun. He had been quiet the whole time we were bustling around the home, and I wanted to check to see if he was willing to see Doctor Alex. It would not hurt to try.

His room was empty with the closet firmly shut, a blaring sign to "keep out". The food on the tray was left half eaten, with the bowl tipped over and spilling over the edge.

"Will you come out and greet our guest?" I asked the door.

I expected silence but received an immediate answer instead.

"Why did you have to bring  _her_  here? Are you trying to make my life a living nightmare?"

 _Her?_ "You speak of Doctor Alex?" I inquired in puzzlement.

"Alex is the reason why you're here, right?" The door moved a fraction. His accusing eye peeked out from the shadows. "And you're the reason why that mutt is living in my house. It's all her fault."

A switched flipped inside me at his petulant words. I stormed toward the closet and thrust it open with an unknown strength to glare at Kagami-kun, whose expression had transformed into fear. Moonlight showed through the entrance of the room to shine on us, bathing everything an eerie blue tint.

"There are many things I cannot understand, Kagami-kun," I murmured low, an unknown feeling boiling inside. "Your turmoil is one. The suffocating feeling of society's restrictions is another. The fear of speaking to certain people because of a past trauma is a third. The anxiety of the unknown, I am aware of definitely. But understand and know this with the utmost clarity." Fisting my hand into his shirt, I pulled him near so we were eye to eye, dark to light. " _None_  of those are the fault of another."

Fury transformed his expression from wary to fierce. "What do you know? You're not even human, so your argument is invalid," Kagami-kun snapped.

"That is true," I admitted calmly, releasing his shirt and sitting back to cross my legs. "It is precisely why I am able to say this was certainty. Whatever emotions may influence my judgment is not present to interfere with the truth in front of my eyes."

"What are you even talking about now?"

"I am saying," I enunciated slowly for emphasis, "that no one is to blame for inevitable things. Things happen, and all events are out of the control of those living in this world."

"I still don't see..."

I interrupted him, still in a moment.

"To decide who is responsible for this and that, what makes you think you are a god?"

Kagami-kun was leaning forward a little ways out of his closet, squinting at me. "Why do you say that? Are a lot of people are going through what I am and I should say my problems aren't relevant?"

"You are taking my words the wrong way." I glanced at the cube that was thrown into a corner of the room. "I mean to say you are not alone. It is strange that you would ignore the feelings of others and place blame on anyone you deem flawed. The whole of humans are their flaws. If anything, you should put all the blame on me, as I willingly meddle into your life. I do not mind, taking the blame or listening to your troubles."

Kagami-kun watched as I crawled to fetch the cube. "Is this a new form of guilt-tripping?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Where do you get all this wisdom, Kuroko?"

"I am not sure. It comes naturally," I replied as I fiddled with the item in my hands.

"Isn't that weird?"

I glanced up to where Kagami-kun was gripping the blankets around him. "What is?"

"It just comes out of nowhere, that sagely knowledge? I know I'm not smart, but wisdom is something people get from experience, yeah? There's no way a computer program can know all that."

On the completed red side, it read "Studying with Taiga" with the middle word crossed out to say "Studying Taiga". I tossed the cube to Kagami-kun and he caught it easily with one hand. He snorted when he read it.

"I remember the first time he told me he had this," he murmured softly. "It was graduation day when he confessed to me."

As his anger and mental walls fell away as he gazed at the cube of memories, a portion of Kagami-kun's vulnerability shone through to reveal the kind-hearted person I imagined he was from his pictures with Tetsuya.

_Be like that with me._

The thought was an impossible wish.

It was the start of all the things that would go wrong from then on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooo, it's been a long while since I updated this story. Sorry for the misleading last chapter that said I would be updating soon last I posted. Unfortunately, I won't be able to update for a while. IRL has been hectic, and I only wrote this on too much coffee and late night breaks.
> 
> But really, comments give me inspiration, so if you like this, leave one and I'll know readers are expecting!


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